08/02/2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2021
TO: LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS
FROM: Captain Scotty Batten
9845 SPOTSWOOD TRAIL
STANARDSVILLE, VIRGINIA 22973
To: The Citizens of Greene County, the Board of Supervisors, and the Editor of the Greene County Record
From: Greene County Rescue Squad Captain, Secretary, and Board of Directors
Citizens,
In response to the story “Split-second decision saved patient but resulted in complaint against EMS” published on July 23, 2021, by Terry Beigie, the remaining operators and administrators of the historically known Greene County (Volunteer) Rescue Squad, would like to inform all Citizens on how emergency medical services in Greene County have been handled since October 14, 2020.
On the morning of October 14, 2020, the previous contract in place between the University of Virginia Medical Center, now known as UVA Health, was terminated
(https://www.nbc29.com/2020/04/24/uva-terminates-emergency-medical-service-agreement-with-greene-county-starting-this-fall/?outputType=apps). This meant the termination of volunteers in a transport capacity.
The County of Greene put out a request for proposal (RFP) to obtain interest from other EMS entities to provide emergency medical services to the citizens of Greene County. There is no
question that the Greene County Rescue Squad could not take on providing 24/7 EMS care to the citizens, as our department was composed of volunteers. No responses were forthcoming when it
came to the RFP that was issued by the County. The County then chose to form a new EMS system that still, ten months later, does not hold a place for the former or new volunteers.
To better explain, in an operational manner, the article published, “Split-second decision saved patient but resulted in complaint against EMS”, the one thing that was missing on that scene was
an ambulance. The Greene County Rescue Squad surrendered our land, building, ambulances, response vehicle, and supplies to the County of Greene at their behest. The County then accumulated five ambulances and a response vehicle, in addition to a county response vehicle that was issued to Mrs. Meador as the Emergency Service Manager, designated for the use of providing emergency medical care and response.
So what does it take to staff an ambulance in Greene County? Like other jurisdictions, Greene County staffs two medic-level ambulances 24/7. This means that there is an individual licensed,
certified, and released by the County OMD, Dr. Debra Pernia, as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), who also has a certification in Emergency Vehicle Operators Course (EVOC) and is released by the Emergency Manager(s) (EM’s) of the new EMS system. It also takes an individual that is licensed, certified, and released as an Intermediate or Paramedic. This individual may or may not, but most likely will also be certified in EVOC. EVOC allows those individuals, even those who do not hold an EMS certification (firefighters or law enforcement) who in the past have acted as a driver, to operate an ambulance or response vehicle in emergency mode (lights and sirens activated).
If the now ten-month-old Greene County EMS system were to have rolled out their system with the existing volunteers on staff as of October 14, 2020, this would have left the opportunity for
ten EVOC operators to respond, with an ambulance, to the scene to allow for timely transport for the patient. If volunteers were still active within the EMS system in Greene County, this could have significantly decreased the on-scene time for this patients as well as the amount of time before receiving critical hospital care.
Recent statistics, obtained via FOIA requests, revealed that the Greene County EMS system has requested mutual aid assistance strictly for EMS a total of 68 times in the last ten months. To put
that in perspective, the Greene County Rescue Squad to include the UVA contractors, in addition to the newly formed Greene County EMS system, called upon mutual aid assistance a total of 64
times for the entire year of 2020. This is already a 6.25% increase in the number of EMS mutual aid requests. Keep in mind that the duration of this comparison is a twelve-month time span
compared to a ten-month time span. This trend shows that mutual aid is called upon, strictly for EMS, on average five times per month as shown in the year 2020. If we were to continue that trend, it would be safe to say that we would foresee the Greene County EMS system requesting mutual aid strictly for EMS, an average of ten more times this year bringing this to a twelve-month comparison. In this case, based on strictly the average of last year's trend, this could bring us to a 21.88% overall average increase of the need for mutual aid in 2021.
Based on the statistical data and the averaged trends for 2020 and 2021, the reinstatement of volunteers in the County EMS system could allow for a decrease in the request for mutual aid for
EMS, but more importantly would provide initial prompt, professional pre-hospital patient care from a certified EMS provider. This reinstatement would also allow for volunteers to respond to the scene in a first response setting or in a transport setting, unlike what the two fire departments can currently do for our citizens. The Ruckersville, and Stanardsville Fire Departments both have a non-transport EMS license that allows their designated members to respond to certain senses based on the criteria set forth by the department heads, emergency managers, and E911 Operations Manager. By allowing volunteers to return to the current EMS system, that is a transport system, could alleviate the number of mutual aid requests, the time between initial activation of the emergency response system and initial patient care, and most importantly the time between initial patient care and receiving more advanced hospital care, as Mrs. Meador mentioned in her statement.
The remaining officers and administrators, to include the over 15 volunteers who were already a part of GCRS, and the multiple members in the community who were not yet voted members of
GCRS, on whose behalf we are advocating, remain hopeful that the leaders within the EMS system, including the County Administrator, Board of Supervisors, and the Operational Medical Director (OMD) will reconsider and make good the multiple promises made, in person to the volunteers, officers, and Board of Directors, to reinstate those GCRS volunteers who are ready to return to this critical and vital service. These volunteers are standing by to use their capabilities, skills, and certifications to enhance the current system for the safety and care of Greene County citizens, which must always remain our number one priority, concern, and responsibility.
- Captain Scotty Batten, NR-EMT
